


Communication

by Small_Hobbit



Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: Community: lewis_challenge, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-09
Updated: 2014-01-09
Packaged: 2018-01-08 03:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1128035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of emails from Robbie Lewis to James Hathaway, beginning shortly after they both leave the police force.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Communication

**Author's Note:**

> Written for luvsbitca for the Lewis Secret Santa at Lewis Challenge on LJ

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Tuesday 10 September 2013**

I’m staying up with our Lyn for a few days and she suggested I email you as I can’t actually be there in person to wish you good luck as you start your course this year. Not that I think you’ll need any luck, because you’re clever, but it’s the thought that counts.

I shall be up in Manchester a lot more because I’ve said

 

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Tuesday 10 September 2013**

I hit send rather than save. Sorry!

Anyway, what I was going to say was that I’ve agreed to come up one week in four to help Lyn with her child care now she’s back at work. A chance to get to know my grandson and keep myself occupied.

But there’ll still be plenty of time to go out for a drink with you. Because after a week of being a grandpa, I shall need three weeks to recover. Assuming you want to be bothered with a pensioner once you’ve got to know all your new student friends.

 

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Monday 23 September 2013**

I enjoyed yesterday. I hope that you were being honest about not having anywhere else you were supposed to be. I think you were. I hadn’t anticipated Sunday lunch in a pub leading onto spending the afternoon walking by the river. You were right; it was too good an afternoon to waste, real Indian summer weather. You’d think that we should have talked about all sorts of things, but I don’t remember much at all; although I do recall you telling a tale about river nymphs. Can’t for the life of me remember what happened though; don’t suppose it really matters. And it will give you the opportunity to repeat it at some point in the future. If we ever walk by the river again. I hope we do.

I meant to tell you that I’m going up to York for a few days. An old friend of ours has moved up there to be nearer his family – he lost his wife eighteen months ago. She was a friend of Val’s and our kids were about the same age, so we had quite a bit in common. We’d lost touch for a while, after, well, you understand, but I went to her funeral. (You probably don’t remember that, we were in the middle of the Dixon case and I took a couple of hours off). After that, we met up on occasions and now that I have all this time on my hands, it seemed a good opportunity to visit him. He tells me he’s found a few decent pubs for us to visit.

All of which is rather a roundabout way of saying I’ll give you a ring at the weekend, once I’m back.

 

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Tuesday 8 October 2013**

Thank you for the email you sent yesterday. It was a bit of a shock, but I’m not as upset as I thought I would be. If I’m honest, I think I’m relieved, which makes me sound bad.

I appreciate that you haven’t asked what happened, but there’s not really that much to say. I’d been under the impression that Laura was happy with me getting out and doing things. And I suppose I’d just assumed that she would continue doing the things she enjoyed: playing in the orchestra, meeting her friends and so on. And that we’d still have the time to be together. 

What I hadn’t realised was that she wanted me to join her in the things she liked doing. Maybe if we had got together not long after I returned, it would have worked. But in the last few years I’ve been making my own life and retirement has given me the chance to do more of some of the things I had started to enjoy. And, on reflection, with the best will in the world, I don’t think it would have worked.

And yes, you did arrive at an inconvenient moment, but you weren’t to know that. And I was grateful for the loan of your book; I am using it as a reason for going to bed early. Not an excuse, because I do want to read it, although I have to admit that I may not manage to read as much as I’d like since Jack seems to be tiring me out quite well.

Please don’t apologise for taking up my time on Saturday; I really enjoyed myself. I’d forgotten how pretty those Cotswold villages were, and we were fortunate once again with the weather. I’m beginning to think the sun shines on me when I’m with you.

And because I don’t want you to blame yourself for our break up (I know you didn’t say that, but I know you only too well), we didn’t argue because you and I had been out together on Saturday - although I suppose that might have added to it. (No, I don’t regret our day out at all). Laura wanted me to go to a concert with her Thursday evening, which would have meant driving home after spending the better part of the day looking after Jack. I said that I wanted to wait until the Friday morning and come back after the rush hour. That was really all it took to realise that it wasn’t working.

So, yes, I would like to take you up on the offer of a drink next weekend. If you don’t mind going out with a dinosaur who prefers to be plodding along.

 

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Wednesday 23 October 2013**

I’m assuming that you will be able to read this on your phone. I could send you a text, but after your comments about my large fingers hitting all the wrong buttons so that even predictive text couldn’t work out what I was trying to say, I’m not going to bother.

I’m sorry the weather’s turned so bad for you. Camping in torrential rain is no fun. I can remember we camped one summer when the kids were quite small and part way through the week it decided to hammer down. After one night we gave up and came home. Mind you, tents are better now than they used to be, so hopefully you’re managing to stay dry. 

What I’m actually writing about is to invite you over to my place on Friday. I know you suggested I go to you, but I think you’re going to want a hot shower and a chance to sort your wet kit out, so it makes more sense for me to do the cooking. And then you can tell me about all the music you heard and how your band got on. Having heard your final practice on Sunday, I’m sure you will all do brilliantly.

 

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Monday 4 November 2013**

Please let me know that you are being sensible. You’ve told me how grateful you are to me for my help last week, so prove it by eating properly, getting enough sleep and not struggling to catch up with your studies before you’re recovered. You were granted an extension so make use of it.

Because if I think you are overdoing it, I will pack Jack into the car and drive down and check on you.

It was no trouble at all to take care of you last week. That chest infection had knocked you for six and there was no way you were going to recover on your own in your flat. I must admit that I hadn’t envisaged my spare bedroom doubling as a sick bay, but it worked well. And it meant that I was able to insist you stayed in bed. Had I not been there I’m sure you would have been trying to be up and about rather than resting properly. I have to admit that I rather enjoyed having you around all week, even if you did spend a lot of the time groaning or asleep.

I’ll call in at your flat on my way home on Friday and pick you up so you can spend the weekend with me. Just to be sure.

 

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Tuesday 5 November 2013**

No, I didn’t ask our Lyn to phone you up. You do realise she was exaggerating when she said I kept checking the time and wondering if you were okay and whether I should have left you. I may have mentioned you had a chest infection and asked her how long it would take to properly recover.

And yes, I will stop worrying about you. Probably.

Just don’t do anything silly while I’m away.

 

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Tuesday 19 November 2013**

I know we spent the weekend together, and I saw you yesterday, but it seems such a long time until tomorrow. Not that I object to you going to band practice. I’d hate you to think that I didn’t want you to have your own interests. It’s just that I miss you.

I popped into the museum today to look at their temporary art exhibition. I wouldn’t recommend it. And I got two tickets for the concert you said you were interested in. And don’t start talking about paying me back; it’s my treat.

I’ve also got the ingredients for dinner for tomorrow. I thought I’d try the chocolate pudding recipe. Even if it doesn’t go quite as planned it should be okay. If we have roast chicken and baked potatoes with some veg it’ll balance out the sugar afterwards.

Do you want to stay over? I found a rather nice bottle of wine for us to try.

 

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Tuesday 3 December 2013**

How’s the studying going? I know you said I could phone, but I don’t want to disturb you.

You remember I said I would be coming up here after Christmas for the week. You’ve been invited, too.

To be exact, what Lyn said was “You can tell James that we expect him as well. He’s a student so there won’t be any problem.”

I don’t recommend that you argue with her. She wants to know whether you’ll be sharing my bed or whether they need to buy a single bed. They’re planning on getting a bed for Jack for when he’s a bit older so it won’t be a problem. I didn’t know what to say. And when I stayed silent, she looked at me and said, “Oh, really, Dad.”

What should I have said?

 

**Robbie Lewis  
To James Hathaway  
Monday 16 December 2013**

I can’t really believe that in two days time, you’ll be moving in with me. And I know you’ll think I’m being stupid, but I just wanted to give you one last chance to change your mind. I will understand, you know, if you do have second thoughts. Or even if you want to give it another month or two. Maybe see how things go over Christmas.

But don’t think this is my way of getting out of it. Nothing would make me happier than to have you living in my flat all the time. I just can’t believe how lucky I am.

The spare bedroom is all ready. I’ve put the desk together and bought a chair this morning. There’s plenty of room in there for your books and CDs and other stuff now the bed has gone. I left the chest of drawers in there for some of your clothes, as I don’t think they’ll all fit in the wardrobe. And I’m going out to buy new bedding for our bed this afternoon. Do you have a preference for what colour we have?

Remind me that I need to tell our Lyn that we’ll be sharing a bed when we go up after Christmas.

And let me know if you think of anything else you’re going to need.


End file.
